Is Stoner now better than Rossi?

Casey Stoner won a world title on Ducati's MotoGP monster, but nine-time champion Valentino Rossi hasn't yet made it work. Why? Sam Tremayne offers a few explanations

Valentino Rossi and Ducati was supposed to be a dream marriage, but 2011 was like nothing the Italian has ever known. Unable to tame the wild Desmosedici, and with precious little sign of progress, Rossi suffered his first winless season in 15 years. The GP11 was the bike 'The Doctor' couldn't fix.

What's more, Rossi found himself coming under the shadow of a certain Casey Stoner – not just through the Australian's 2011 supremacy, but also his previous tally of 23 victories and one world championship with the Italian squad. If Rossi is the greatest of all time, how is it he was unable to conquer a bike that Stoner could bully to title glory?